Making Leaf Tallies

There are many ways to make Leaf Tallies in bobbin lace. Different methods can be dictated by the style of pillow, the bobbins, palms up or down styles, and the ability of your own hands and mind to keep track of the tensions in these little woven almonds.

One thing I learned was to not let the tally bully you, they can be wayward, eager for the worker bobbin to snag on pins, waiting for the tiny lapse of concentration which lets one bobbin get pulled a little more than it needed. At least, they are easy to undo, no pins or knots to unwork.

To practice, it is well worth using two pairs of bobbins around a pin, make a tally, work a pin and continue with yet another, and another tally until you feel your hands get the rhythm of the tally dance.

Maybe my non traditional way of making tallies will have the old bobbin lace makers spin in their graves but, in today's lace making world, as long as it makes me happy to see the little white almonds appear in my lace, that is enough for me.

https://youtu.be/Thc-6D7Y1ZE